Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins expects to have a strong, veteran team next season. / Spruce Derden, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

STANFORD, Calif. - Johnny Dawkins says he has no mementos lying around this office, no reminders of Stanford's Sweet 16 run this spring.

He doesn't need more than the memories, the coach says, and the stories he'll forever share with his players. Weddings, reunions, the like - he's sure the wins over New Mexico and Kansas will be brought up, and what it took to get them. Wives, kids and grandchildren will hear all about this, stories that show what hard work and dedication to a cause can get you. There might be painful losses along the way, NIT appearances, years without postseason play, buzz about a coach and the proverbial hot seat.

But then, a veteran-laden group familiar with all of those lows can experience the ultimate high: a deep March run in the NCAA tournament. It's the kind of season for this kind of group that won't be forgotten.â??

And it may just be the beginning for the Cardinal.

Dawkins sat down with USA TODAY Sports reporter Nicole Auerbach in his office last week to discuss Stanford's Sweet 16 run and key returnee, new expectations, college basketball's lengthy season, lessons from Coach K and Gregg Popovich and more.

Q: Besides a slightly shorter offseason, what's been different since the Sweet 16 run?

A: For me, everything stays the same. I'm happy that our team had a chance to accomplish (that). I'm happy for our seniors, for them to go out and leave their legacy. That's something we'd discussed when those kids had arrived. That journey is different for every young man. But at the end, all their hard work and determination paid off. Now, we regroup, start working. The bar's been set. Now, we continue to try to raise it. â?¦ I'm just really proud of our guys. I'm happy for them. As you know, I've been very fortunate (in my career). These are things that will stay with them for the rest of their lives, the experience they had with their teammates, the run they were able to go on at the end of the year. That's what this is about. That's what college athletics is about - those moments. Our kids got a chance to have those moments.

Q: For you personally, it was your first NCAA tournament as a head coach. Looking back on it now, what were the most rewarding parts? What sticks out in your mind?

A: For me, what's gratifying is I've had the chance to do it as a player and a coach now. Everyone said, 'Oh, you did it as a player,' or 'Oh, you did it as an assistant coach, but you hadn't done it as a head coach.' That's something I'm very proud of, personally, that I was able to accomplish that feat as a player and as a coach. For me, it's more about my staff, the guys that were able to do it. I've been very fortunate in the game. So it's about the people I work with, them having the opportunity to do it. I've had the opportunity to further their careers because of the success we've been able to have. That's the thing that really excites me about what we accomplished.

Q: One stat I thought was really interesting from last season was this: Stanford was 9-3 following a loss. You had a veteran team, lots of juniors and seniors. Is that how they were able to rebound so well?

A: (Laughs.) I think it was a lot of practice in previous years. Definitely, maturity played into it, being there before and understanding you can't allow one loss to snowball into one or two or three losses, like they may have when they were younger and the team was less experienced. The experience was key. I think the preparation for those games was very good. The guys were very focused after losses. It's one thing to take losses hard, which I think we should. It's another thing: How do you grow from those experiences? I don't look at every loss as a major loss because a lot of times, you can learn about your team from it. The losses that we had during the year all propelled us in the right direction, toward something better. We grew. That's how we looked at it, and we didn't live and die by every single win or loss. We just stayed the course of what we were trying to accomplish.

Q: You've got three starters coming back - Chasson Randle, Anthony Brown and Stefan Nastic - but let's focus on Randle for a second. He had a great year (led Stanford in scoring with 18.8 points per game) and seems poised for a big senior year. Where do you want to see him grow? What are his goals for the offseason?

A: It's good that you asked about this, because it gives me a chance to talk about Chasson. I think he's a warrior. I think he's one of the best guards in the country, flat out. I think he's shown on the big stage that he can play with anybody. He's excelled. He was first-team All-Pac 12. I think this year, he's probably an honorable All-American, All-American type of candidate. Somewhere in there. I believe he deserves all of those types of accolades because he's really accomplished. For his growth, he can still grow in the position. He came here as more of a combo guard. He's more of a point guard for us, so he will continue to get better in that area. Even from the end of the season to now, I see improvement. That says a lot about his work ethic. He wants to be a great player. He's willing to pay the price for that.

Q: Those three players I mentioned are also all going to be working on their masters degrees next year. That seems like a very Stanford thing.

A: (Laughs.) I'm always proud of our kids. I always try to tell them, I'll never compromise our winning for their success in the classroom. I believe you can do both. We hold them accountable for that. â?¦ I couldn't be happier for those kids and what they've accomplished and what they are going to accomplish.

Q: And because of these guys, you're going to have a veteran-laden team again next year. In this day and age of transfers and one-and-dones, that seems so rare, that veteran team, that continuity. It's almost like a luxury for a coach.

A: We've had zero transfers in my six years here, so we have had continuity. I think that does play a part in it. It was old hat when I played. For the most part, you went and played four years. You had that stability, that chemistry. Now, you have a situation where there's a lot more uncertainty. We've been fortunate. We've been able to stay relatively stable. With three seniors returning, it's exciting. I think they have gained some invaluable experience this past year with the run they made in the NCAA tournament. Those three guys were also all on the team that won the NIT championship two years ago. They've accomplished. I think that's good for the young kids coming in, to have that type of leadership at the top.

Q: When you hadn't made the NCAA tournament, it was certainly a goal to get there. Now that you have, is it the kind of thing where the players have tasted it and want more? Instant motivation.

A: Absolutely. I'm sure, having been in that situation and watching what they are going through. Playing in the tournament, I think, makes you even hungrier to try to achieve even more. The bar is now set. What are we going to do now? I think, especially the seniors, understood what it took to get there. Winning isn't easy, as we all know. Having gone through that experience, I think they understand exactly what you have to do to have an opportunity to make a tournament like that. We're fortunate to have those kids returning, and I think their minds are in the right place.

Q: To me, it seems like the Pac-12 - one of the deepest leagues in the country last year - will look pretty different next season. A lot of talent left early or graduated. Some programs are on the rise, like Utah. There have been coaching changes (at Cal, Oregon State and Washington State) and some uncertainty at other places (like at Oregon). What's your take on the league, a few months from the start of the 2014-15 season?

A: First and foremost, it's a heck of a conference. You have great coaches in this conference, and it's very competitive. Last year, I think that showed. The teams that were selected all performed very well in the tournament. This year, I still think we're going to be a very good conference. I think Arizona is a very, very good team. Sean (Miller) has done a great job. I think Colorado, Utah. UCLA is always going to be UCLA. I haven't even mentioned the Washingtons and the other teams I think will be very competitive. There are number of them. Some are going through some stuff with coaching changes or things that have happened off the court, but I have a lot of confidence in those coaches. They've been successful throughout their careers, and they'll find a way to be successful. I think the league is going to be competitive once again, and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Q: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's coaching tree is expanding as some of his long-time assistants have taken over programs of their own in recent years. You're here at Stanford, obviously Tommy Amaker at Harvard. Chris Collins just finished his first season at Northwestern, and Steve Wojciechowski just took over at Marquette. Do you see any similarities between coaching styles, considering you all share a similar background?

A: One thing I'll say about coaching - and anybody would be lying if they told you differently - if you work for someone as long as we worked for Coach K or any head coach for that matter, you can't help but take certain things away from them. A large percentage of what you do is going to be the philosophy from where you were. You may tweak it, and the longer you're in the profession, the more you're going to tweak it to become more of who you are. Initially, it's almost impossible. That's all you've known. It becomes a process over the years, figuring out what works best for you and your program. But your foundation will always be that, and I'm proud for that to be my foundation.

Q: College basketball's schedule and its lengthy season are topics that have been debated a lot, even recently with Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby talking about limiting it (and other sports) to one semester. We could talk about competing with college football interest in the fall, the wear and tear on players' bodies, practices starting earlier by two weeks last year, etc. Lots of pieces to this issue. What's your take on the schedule and length of the season as it stands?

A: The way I see it is, I played 40 games my senior year. We played 36 games last season. As a player, I never viewed it like I played too many games. I don't really have a definitive answer on this. â?¦ Now, there may be some reasons why people want to play less, but I don't have a feeling for it one way or another. As long as they give us a schedule and tell us who we have to play and point us in that direction, we're going to do that.

Q: Did you guys start practices early last year? Did you notice any differences with that?

A: Yes, we did. Personally, I like the idea of allowing the guys to start then. You have a choice as a coach, then, to implement it how you want to implement it. You still have the rules on the hours, so nothing changes there. Rather than start somebody off on October 15 when your first game is going to be early November - you have two and a half, three weeks before you play in a game, and you're supposed to implement your system and get everybody fluid? Especially since you and I both know a lot of weight is being placed on what you do in November? I think if you're going to make that the norm, having that be such an important month, you should probably give people some time to prepare their teams. â?¦ As opposed to what teams have normally been doing, which was building up momentum toward their conference schedule. Now you have to make sure you're ready before that.

Q: Right, people get labeled in November.

A: Our conference did a few years ago. The team that won the regular season championship did not go to the NCAA tournament. â?¦ So it becomes at least a little important that you put your best foot forward. So you need to practice. I've also talked to some coaches who didn't start practicing early. They waited. That's their right. I think giving guys the flexibility to choose (is important). We could give our guys the whole weekend off. It didn't matter as much because I wasn't under the gun of starting on the 15th, and you've got to get everything in and going. Now, we could be more leisurely. 'They look a little sluggish or leg-heavy. Let's take Wednesday off.' It's like, what's the big deal? You have time now. I think in some ways it might help prevent injuries because you're not rushing to get so much done in such a little amount of time.

Q: A couple of final questions about the coaching profession in general. Who's impacted your career the most, either as a player or coach?

A: I've been fortunate. You know I've been with Coach K for a long time, but I've also played for Coach Larry Brown. Jim Boeheim. John Thompson. Bobby Knight. Coach Gregg Popovich. I'll tell you a story about him that I'll always remember. It has to do with people. When I first retired from playing in the NBA, I was back at Duke University looking to be employed and figure out the next phase of my life. I called him because I was thinking about getting into coaching. I asked him - and I hadn't talked to him in years, so pretty much a cold call - he was an assistant when I was a player there. Now, he was the head coach. I said, 'Pop, I'm thinking about getting into coaching. What do you think?' I'll never forget this, and I admire this. He said, 'Look, we don't have anything right now. But I'll tell you what, you're down in the research triangle area, so say you're scouting for us, you're scouting for the Spurs. We'll go from there.' How good is that? That's about trying to help other people. I hadn't seen him in years. I didn't finish my career there. For him to be so kind and to basically say he'll help in any way he can â?¦ I ended up getting hired at Duke and everything worked out the way it did here, but I'll never forget that. That's what coaching is about.

Q: You've sort of touched on this, but when did you realize you could see yourself as a coach?

A: I didn't think I was going to get into coaching, to be quite frank. I wanted to get into athletic administration. I wanted to be an athletic director. I was actually interning at Duke in a management program for that (after my playing career ended), where you go through the ticket office, budget department, donor relations, public/media relations. You go through all those different departments for a stint, a three-month stint in each of those departments learning the craft, learning the business. Probably six months into that, Coach Amaker got the Seton Hall job. Coach K just kind of came by and said, 'Do you ever think about coaching?' (Laughs.) If you ever play for Coach, he's your coach for the rest of your life. That meant I was coaching. Here I am. The wonderful thing about it, and I always thank Coach for that and I'm very appreciative because he saw that in me before I saw it in myself. I couldn't be any happier than I am doing what I do. You've seen the ups and downs of our sport. Through all of that, I've loved what I do. I'm able to help young people. â?¦ Coach did that for me, and now I'm able to pass down the things he taught me, the leadership lessons, accountability, commitment to a cause, all of those things.